Apparatus for conditioning cotton seed



y 1 1 5. 9. o. HIELDS 2,376 094 APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING COTTON EED Filed 001;. 27, 1 945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MW" m"- s i 1945- H. o. SHIELDS 2,376,094

APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING COTTON SEED Filed Oct. 27, 1943 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 JNVENTOR flew/v 0. 5/5101.

I Patented May 15, 1945 APPARATUS'FOR ooNnI'rIoNING' ooTToNsEEn I I -Iardin 0. Shields, Abilene, Texg assignor to The Texas Company, New York, N. 2., a corporation Applicationoctober 27, 1943,"SerialN o. 561,861.

7 cl ims (crie -16s) 1 .-'Ihis:-invention relates to a method and apparatus for treating materials'uchfas seed-cotton prior. to ginningat acotton gin, and cotton seed prior todelinting ina cotton-seed oil mill. The invention contemplates the application of a con.- ditiom'ng agent such, for example, as oil or an oil compoundto the cottonfibers or'lint on the seed order to render them less brittle: and less likely to breakduring the several opera.- tions to which they are subjectboth in the gins and inthe cotton seed oil mills.: .By so treat.- ingjthe fibers, it is possible to produce a better sample atthe gin anda'bettergradeof lint in the cotton side oil mill where the short fibers remaining-on the seeds areremoved. The invention will be; more clearly understood if brief reference, is madetothe. usual methodof hamn ling and treating seed-:cotton and cotton seed.

Seed-cotton whennp icked vmayHhave intermingled with it certain extraneous matter such as portions of the cotton plants, including leaves, burs and stems, and such foreign matter as sticks, weeds and trash, and it may alsocontain some sand or dirt. Ordinarily, seed-cotton is subjected to certain precleaning and extracting processes involving the use of dryers, cleaners With the foregoing in mind, the present invention'has foran object to provide a method and apparatusfor conditioningthe fibers on and extractors which are intended to .remove this extraneous and foreign matter.. Following this precleaning, 'the seed-cotton is passed-t0 gin stands where the long fibers are separated from the seed,- This long fiber is that which is baled; and subsequently used in the -manufacture of textiles. From the gin stands"the seeds which still retain, short lengths of fibers are removed tooil mills for further treatment. ,At the oil mills the cotton seed may be stored in a seed house anywhere from a matterof months to two years, and during the period of storage the short cotton fibers left on the seeds are apt to become very dry and brittle j and are therefore easily broken so that in the subsequent handling, as in the cleaning operation, these short fibers may be broken and lost in what is known aslint dust.

When the cotton seeds are being prepared for lengths of fibers inthe form of lint. The lint stalled.

from the linter stands is removed from the saws by a system of brushes, vacuum, or any other desired manner, the lint being rolled ofi in a soft roll and baled in much the same manner as cotton. ,These short fibers removed by the linter saws are frequently-usedin the manufacture of explosives synthetic fiber, mattresses, etc, v

either seed-cotton before entering the gm stands, or cotton seed before entering the linter stands to make it possible'to produce a better sample of either long fibers or lint, and byso' treating the fibers to reduce the lint'dust andfly'at the points of operation and produce morehealthy working conditions for th operators. With a reduction'of fly it is, of-course, possible to produce a greater amount of lint from a givennumber of tons of seed. Furthermore, theapplica- 'tion of the conditioning agentto either the long or short fibers renders them more. pliable, keeps the gin and linter saws in more 1 efficient operating condition and therefore prolongs their serviceable life while at the same time reducing power consumption.- Also, by reducingthe fly in the cotton seed oil mill, belt life is increased because flying-lint dust on the belts causesslipping and wear, andthe efficiency of operation ofotherequipment is improved. At the same time, the-application of the conditioning agent eliminates oratleast substantially reduces the formation of statioelectricity and by so doing minimizes the danger of fire in the mill;

For the purpose of illustration, the invention will be described with reference to the application of a conditioning agent (hereinafterreferred to asaoil) to cotton seedin a cotton oil mill, but it willbe understood that the same apparatus is equally suitable for us for treating. seed-cotton in cotton gins.

. Other objects, features and advantagesof the invention will appear from thefollowing description and by reference to the accompanying. draw-. ings in which: v

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a'portion of a typical seed-cleaning unit on Whichan apparatus embodying the present invention is in- Figure 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure .3 is an enlarged view of the manifold assembly which, as shown in Figures 1 and 2,

is mounted above the shaker screen of the seedcleaning unit.

Figure4 is an enlarged sectional view of the manifold with the wiper-type wick inoperative position. :Figure 5 is another enlarged sectional view of the manifold with a modified form of wiper type wick in operative position. I

. In Figure 1 of the drawings there is illustrated a portion of a seed-cleaning unit having a supporting frame indicated generally by the reference character In, and inclined screens [2,12

suspended from the framework. Provision is madefor producing a shaking movementofthe screens so that seeds thereon will move forward and downwardly in a relatively thin layer, but as the screen shaking' mechanismponstitutes no part of the "present invention it willnot'be described. For present purposes it is sufiicient to say that the seeds are fed in regulated quantities to the uppermost shaker screen l2.1 l.Qm"8, hOpper: 1 H which extends across the width of the screem The apparatus which constitutes the subject matter of the present invention-includesa mani fold I6 which is disposed in a'horizontalposition slightly above and across a section of the shaker screen I 2, preferably the uppermost section's The manifold I6 is maintained in position'by means of clamps l8, I8 attached to it near its opposite l5 end pandtthemselvessecured to, theuframe ID. The manifold l B-is provided throughout agreater portion of its length '-with- ;;a narrow longitudinal slot which is at least coextensivein length with the. width: of: theashakerl screen 12; Each end to of the'manifold" l6-connects through a pipe elbow 22 with asightfeed :needle val-.ve..24-and the, two needle valves; in turn; connect- ,through suitable piping indicated generally; bythe reference character 26 with amtank or reservoirdllwhichlcon- 12 5 tains the fiber;conditioning fluid orro-il andwhich is mountedon the gframeqlfl, or, elsewhere in proximity to thezframe',v at such alheight; asv to insure sufficient hydrostatic" pressure to. provide acontinuous fiowzof the oil;.tozztheuneedleuvalves 3p 24, 24 and ultimately toithe manifold 'l 6;. A cageelike member 30-, whicrr in crosssection is somewhatwedge-shapedso; as to have 7 both a larger: chambered-section andra restricted,v sec tion and whichpreferablydsmomposed of a: woven ,5 or: perforatedjmaterial ;such:;.as smal-l gmesh wire screening, is disposedin theaslot 2min the manifold IS with thelargenchambered section within the manifold :andcthe lrestrictedzsection. projecting outwardly. Thecage-likemember 30 iscomfpletely covered with ar-flexible; absorbent ;mate.- rial such as-flannel which constitutes :a wipertype wick:32.l v

The selection ofsuitablermaterial for;.the:cag.elike member' 3flnis importantibecausethe moveas ment 10f. oil to :the wick i3 2 scanbe quite: accurately regulated. by usingt'screendng; ofzzsuita-ble gauge or other materialhaving a :degree of 1 porosityto per;- mit only the desired amount?v of; oil; to. pass through Thussdual ;regulation .oftthe .supplyof oil to the; wick is obtained; first -zby;means; of. the sight feed needleyalves 2.4; urzand'isecondly, by proper selection of the materialzofi whichthe cage-like member '3lleismade; 7

A section 0ft:theewickiflz-projects .beyondthe end of: therestricted-portion. of? the? cage-like member 30 and extends in a downward direction so that its free. surfaceswhichiconstitutesaawiper, can make wiping contact with the shakersscreen l 2 or the seed: thereon Therchamb'eredusection of the cage. 30, becauseaofrits shapezandrigidity, acts to hold the; wicka'fllinthe: slotrZB; and:.at the same time exposes a relatively larges'surface of the wickj to theaconditioningvrfluid initheimanifolchlfi; A'arodiu extendslongitudinallyvthrough the chambered section of the memberxmaand prevents .-:that; section from collapsing andibeing pulledvthroughthe slotilo or restricting:the: flow of fluid. If desired, collars 35; 35.:canbe secured to the endsofth'e: rod 3 l-1to: preventathea :rod from 7 becoming. seateddn the. slot 2 01 andthus tending to cut :off the-flow: of afluid through 1 the slot :20: At the point where the restricted section :of the ence character-Nitric upp' n and lower-sections -When the of the flexible, absorbent material are stitched together and beyond that point a single layer of the absorbent material ofwh'iclrthe wick 32 is composed 'projects' downwardly with its free surface, constituting a wiper in a position to be contacted by the seeds on the screen 12 as the seeds aremoved'down the shaker screen.

Inwa modified form of the invention as shown in Fig. 5, the wire cage-like member 30 is not used; but instead-one end of the absorbent wiper 321s folded b'ackzon itself to form a chambered member 30"Which also extends into the manifold-Llfiiandiisxheldnin operative position therein by a rod such as rod 34, or by one having an annularly furrowed or grooved surface as shown at 31 ands-whose diameter iscgreaterthan thewidth oflthewslot 20. The furrows ;or gr.ooves-in1the surface permit the free: passage of oil "around the rodvto theeabsorbentwick while at (the same time the: presence :of the rod :preventslthe chambered portion "30f. "of the wicklfroml being pulled into:andzperhapsthrough the slotZlL Also all possibility thatitherodimight move into a position to close=the slotaisaeliminated.

.In somelinstancestitis desirable to operate-with a; low. oil; level in the manifold :l6, -andin order to insure .a continuous supply -,-of ioil toathe wick.,.32 whemso operating-an elongated absorbent fabric flapcllll zi lsecured :to: the. fabric of :the cage-like member 3llland=-lis allowed to -hangdownwardly intothe oil irrithe manifold [8 fromwhich the oil .is suppli'ed iby capill'ary action to the wick- 32. Thus,:.regardless :of thedevel of -theoil in the manifold a constant supply to the-wick= is--- assured.- I a above describe I apparatus is mounted in operativeposition on theframe I ll 7 of a-seed-cleaning unit, the reservoirZB-isfilled with the oil or oil- :compound, or other fluid; which is o to beapplied to-the-cotton -seeds The-rate of fiow-of-the oil from the reservoinZB-throughthe piping l li to the manifold l 6=isregulatecl and controlled" by thesight feed needleVaIVes-ZG; 24. By proper-adjustment 1 of these valves; the desired amount of "oil can-be supplied by gravityte the manifold -l 6, the oil flowingto-themanifold'due to the-hydrostatic pressure-on the-oil in the reservoir; When theoil in the manifold' l B'reachesthe proper" height it'saturates the-portion ofthe wick 32 whichextends into the-manifoldand capillary action causes-the 'oil to be --distrib'uted*uniformly throughout the-entire area of the wick 32. The oil saturated wiper section 'ofthe--wickcontacts the relatively dry "cotton-seed "on -theshaker screen l2 and-'due-to the-contactofthe wick with the-seed, a small quanti-ty -ofoil is transferred from the-wick-to'thefibers orr the'seecl. substan tially all ofthe'fibers on the seedreceivean application-atoll: fromthe wiper portion of the-wick due 'to' the character of l the=- material of 1 which the -Wick-is composedwhich enables it '-to' flex and conform to the -'irregularities in -thesurface of the layer of seeds on the screens 'Iheshakingef the screens -mai=ntai-ns a-'continuous for-ward and downward movement :of the layer of seeds 1in contact with the wiper seeti-on :of the wick BZ and finally :the-treatedseeels are-"conveyed: to-'the-'1inters where tl'ie seedsare d-elintedr 1 As previously stated; the apparatus which constitutes 1 the 'subliectmatter of this "invention is likewise'adapted iforuse in cotton gins --:for treating seed cottonprior tc the ginning: operation, and when so used themanifoldl '6 is mounted; for exampley the discharge end' of- 'a-'- cleaner and the applibation'ofthe 0am: oil compound is made to the seed cotton in substantially the same manner as herein described prior to its entry into the gin stands.

Obviously, many modifications and Variations may be made in the invention as herein set forth without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended Claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with the inclined shaker screen of a seed cleaning apparatus, means for applying a liquid conditioning agent to the seed on said, screen comprising a manifold disposed above and transversely ofsaid screen and formed with a longitudinally extending slot in the wall thereof, means for maintaining a constant supply of the conditioning agent to said manifold,

and a flexible absorbent wick havin one edge extending through the slot in said manifold and into the conditioning agent therein and the .opposite edge depending to the shaker screen whereby the seed on said screen is caused by the shaking action of the screen to pass in wiping contact with said wick and minute quantities of the conditioning agent thereon to be transferred from the wick to the seed.

2. In combination with the inclined shaker screen of a seed cleanin apparatus,means for applying a liquid conditioning agent to the moving seed on said screen comprising a manifold disposed above and transversely of said screen and formed with a longitudinally extending slot.

in the wall thereof, means for maintaining a constant and regulated supply of the conditioning agent in said manifold, a flexible absorbent wick having one edge extending through the slot into said manifold and the opposite edge depending to and formed with a longitudinally extending slot in the Wall thereof, said. slot being co-extensive in length with the width of the shaker screen, means for maintaining a constant and regulated supply of the conditioning agent to said manifold, awedge-shaped cage-like member composed of rigid woven material disposed in the slot in said manifold with its enlarged chambered section positioned within the manifold and its restricted section projecting outwardly therefrom, a flex- .ible absorbent wick having one end extending into the manifold and enveloping the cage-like member and contacting the conditioning agent in the manifold and the opposite end depending to the shaker screen, and an elongated rod ex-- tending through the chambered portion of the cage-like member for maintaining said member in position whereby conditioning fluid is con- "in agent thereon to be transferred from the wickv theshaker screen whereby seed on said screen is I caused by the shaking action of the screen to move in wiping contact with said wick and minute quantities of the conditioning agent thereon to be transferred from the wick to the seed, and an absorbent flap depending'from said wick in said manifold into the oil therein to insure a constant supply of oil to the wick regardless of the oil level within the manifold.

3. In combination with the inclined shaker screen of a seed cleaning apparatus, means for applying a liquid conditioning agent to the moving seed on said screen'comprising a manifold disposed above and transversely of said screen and formed with a longitudinally extending slot in the wall thereof, means for maintainin a constant andregulated supply of the conditionving agent to said manifold, a flexible absorbent stantly fed to said wick from said manifold and is transferred therefrom in minute quantities to.

the seed as the latter is caused to pass in wiping engagement against the wick by the action of the shaker screen. i

5. In combination with the inclined shaker screen of a seed cleaning apparatus, means for to the seed.

6. In combination with the inclined shaker screen of a seed cleaning apparatus, means for applying liquid conditioning agentto the seed on said'screen comprising a manifold disposed above said screen and formed with a longitudinally extending slot in the wall thereof, means for maintaining the conditioning agent to the manifold under hydrostatic pressure suflicient to provide a continuous flow of the conditioning agent to the manifold, a wick extending through the slot in said manifold so that one end is in contact with the conditioning agent therein while the other end depends to the shaker screen whereby seed on said screen is caused to pass in wiping contact with said wick and minute quantities of the conditioning agent carried by the v wick having one end extending into the manifold and therein folded to form a chambered section and the oppositeend depending to the shaker screen, and an elongated rod having an annularly furrowedgsurface extending through the chambered section of the wick to prevent the walls thereof from collapsing when saturated with oil while permitting the unrestricted passage of oil through said furrows to the 'wick which-is thereby saturated with oil which is transferred therefrom to the seed as the latter is caused to pass in wiping engagement past the wick by the action of the shaker screen.

4. In combination with the inclined shaker screen of a seed cleaning apparatus, means for applying a liquid conditioning agent to the moving seed on said screen comprising a manifold disposed above and transversely of said screen through the slot.

wick to be transferred from the wick to the seed. 1 7. In combination with the inclined shaker 7 screen of a seed cleaning apparatus, means for applying liquid conditioning agent to the seed on said screen comprising a manifold disposed above the screen and having a longitudinally extending slot in the wall thereof, means for continuously supplying a conditioning agent to the manifold, an absorbent wick having one end extending through the slot in the manifold and into the conditioning agent therein and the opposite end depending to the shaker screen to make wiping contact with the seed on said screen, an elongated rod disposed m the manifold for supporting the end of the wick therein, and means on opposite HARDIN O. SHIELDS. 

